Presentation Theyre All Drunk In Singapore General 02 09 10

Crisis! Management Strategies to Protect Your Organization and Create Opportunities for Growth

Crisis! …And Now For the Real Title….

Don’t Be a Dinosaur In a Mammal’s World

Why Organizations Need a Crisis Plan Before They Have a Crisis

“They’re All Drunk in Singapore…”

or

or

Consider the Mighty Dinosaur

Massive Powerful Dominant Awe-Inspiring

Dead

Dinosaur, Inc. – A Flawed Model

SlowCumbersomeBad CommunicationsInability to Anticipate and Adapt

Dinosaur, Inc. – A Flawed Model

In other words, by the time its pea-brained consciousness receives,

understands and responds to a threat to its existence, it’s dead.

Consider the Humble Mammal

Fast Adaptive Plans Ahead Aware Slightly Paranoid

Evolutionary Box Score:

Prairie Dogs – 750,000,000Dinosaurs – 0

Welcome to Jurassic Park…

An employee of your company – heavily armed, wearing a

sweatshirt and cap with your logo prominently displayed – takes

hostages at the elementary school and is demanding access to the media to tell the world about the integrity of your operations and

your efforts to silence him.

In the next 20 minutes:

The Central Nervous System Twitches…

CNN starts taking a live feed from a local TV station;50 Tweets go out to 20,000 followers and re-Tweeted to millions more;Three people are posting pictures from their phones to the Facebook

pages, one guy is live streaming video from his iPhone;MSNBC reports receiving an e-mail from a second employee that

appears to corroborate these allegations;A union trying to organize lottery employees announces a webcast

press conference in which it will claim that this situation is a result of poor working conditions;

Fox News interviews an “expert” on workplace violence who says firms like yours “are breeding grounds for violence”;

Your web site crashes from the surge in hits;Your call center is inundated with calls from worried customers;

CBS cuts into its daytime programming to broadcast live a caller on a cell phone claiming to be inside the school;

The Brain Responds…Sort Of

Meanwhile back at the office:Your phones are completely jammed and even internal calls can’t get through;

Because of vacation, travel and illness, your PR manager, executive director and operations executive are unavailable;

Your reception area is mobbed by media, consumers, reality show participants. The very nice lady at the reception desk is looking through her procedure manual for the

right checklist.

Your general counsel is having lunch somewhere in town but she never turns on her cell phone and her secretary is gone;

The CEO has made an ironclad rule that – no matter what the situation – he must personally approve all comments to the media. Unfortunately, he and his family are

in Singapore and not back in their hotel room yet.

The Result…

You’re…

DEAD

So, the Very First Question to Ask Is…

Are we a dinosaur or a mammal?

If You’re Feeling a Little Jurassic Right Now…

Then the time to start working on a crisis communications plan is now

In the Immortal Words of Hank K…

“There cannot be a crisis next week; my schedule is already full.”

“Does anyone have any questions for my answers?”

Avoid Panic…

Develop, test, rehearse and follow a crisis response plan that covers not just

communications but every aspect of your operations.

“What Should Be Included In Your Crisis Management Plan?”

Central coordinationClearly defined rolesGuided by risk assessmentRedundancyRegular test and review

Things That Should Keep You Up at Night

Media or Government Investigations– Behavior– Financial– Relationships

Operational Incidents– Integrity of process– Network crash– Software error

Loss of Facilities/Personnel/Organizational Capabilities– Impairment of headquarters – Death or disability of key personnel– Labor dispute– Reduction of funding

Misbehavior/Malfeasance/Criminality– Theft/fraud– Assault– Substance abuse– Inappropriate action/behavior– Failure to follow guidelines/procedures

Community-Wide Incidents– Terrorism– Natural disaster

Why Are These Elements Important?

Speed of activitiesThe global villageThe urge to speculateThe “fog of war”The need to communicateLack of experience

Speed Kills

More than ever, the media is 24/7 and its appetite for news is growing.

Because of this, you have to be on-call and ready to respond at all times.

It Really Is a Global Village

What happens in one part of the world is effectively instantly known everywhere. A story about your organization will reach

all of your stakeholders.

Remember, too, that not all stakeholders view things the same way.

Don't Guess…

Don’t speculate, theorize or hypothesize.

In a crisis communications situation, credibility is built and sustained by

sticking to what you know.

Gather Facts

The best way to counter the dangers of rumor and gossip is to develop an extensive and practiced fact-gathering mechanism:– A monitoring room for broadcasts– Internet, social media and mainstream

media monitoring– Outside media monitoring agencies– Calls with key personnel on the frontlines

Share What You Know

Use all the tools at your disposal – regular meetings, e-mails, audio recordings,

intranets, etc. – to keep your employees, your board and other key

stakeholders informed.

Talk to People Who Have Been There

An organization should call on experienced counsel in developing and reviewing crisis communications plans and for direct assistance in times of crisis.

“What Messages Are Important To Communicate…”

For once, all of your stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders, partners – are paying attention; what do you want to say to them?

– Honest emotions – empathy, grief, anger, resolve– Facts– Sincere Commitments to Future Actions– Openness

“…Who Should Be On Your Crisis Communications Team?”

CoordinatorInbound “Call Answerers”Outbound CommunicatorsWriter(s)ResearchersAdministratorTech Support

“How Do You Handle The Situation And Continue To Manage Your Organization?”

“Rule #1: Fly the plane!”Assigned rolesSpecific dutiesWhat to do with your senior

executives?The difference between being

informed and being a decisionmaker

Tell the Truth

The media and your other stakeholders know when they’re not getting the full story from a

company. Don't lie to them.

Ever.

You Can Run, But…

It's better to tell bad news yourself than let somebody else find it, but if you're going to tell it, tell it all and make sure

your facts are solid. 

Practice, Practice, Practice…

You still may not make it to Carnegie Hall, but a well-tested, practiced

communications plan is even better than applause.

Never Touch the Camera…

Never run and never pretend that you'll get the last word (remember you won't be

in the editing suite when the piece gets put together).

Know Your “Friends”

Beware of the ratings periods and politicians (including the ones with titles like “analyst,” “expert” and “consultant”)

“What Is The 5-step Process For Tackling A Crisis That I

PlanningPracticeTeamworkExecutionAdaptability

And a bonus…Analysis

Can Start Working on Today?”

6

So, In Conclusion…

Act like a mammal– Move fast– Plan– Understand your environment– Be adaptable– Create a crisis communications plan

Homework Assignment

Chapter 1

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United

States

http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.pdf

jon@jaustingroup.com612-839-5172

Thank You

Thank You